Back in the Bakumatsu
by The Fluffy Muffin Queen
Summary: She was his sheath; he couldn't keep the madness at bay without her.' When Kaoru is injured, she wakes up in the Bakumatsu and unknowingly walks the same path Tomoe once did. How will her presence change history? And how is it possible? Chapter 6 up.
1. Not everything said is meant as it Seems

_(A.N: No, I'm not dead… yet… With Ai Ki To (yeppers! I'm takin' martial arts!) it's only a matter of time… But I had this idea 'round Christmas, and I've finally gotten it down. I've also seen it in a couple of places, __Love and War__ by __Saori Runa Dempsey__ the only good one that pops into my mind at the moment, but I'm happy to say that I thought of it own my own, not stealing it from anybody! Anyways, read on._

_P.S. This follows the manga, not the anime (which doesn't have Tomoe or Enishi or anything at _all_) or the OVA 'Trust and Betrayal', which made me hate Tomoe before I read the manga and began to like her. And the OVAs make the characters… OOC… Like Kaoru being able to cook… I kid you not. Watch 'Reflections' and you'll find her a wilting flower who can cook and is kidnapped far to easily…_

_P.P.S. Does anybody know how to get pictures up on ? I've seen it done before, but I can't do it and it's driving me crazy!!)_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. That honor goes to Watsuki-san.

Kaoru glared reproachfully at Kenshin, an action almost never done by the young woman. "Kenshin, stop blaming yourself! You didn't do anything!"

The rurouni stood there, not meeting her gaze but instead watching the dirt beneath his sandals. "Kaoru-dono," he said softly, still not looking up at her. "This one... this one cannot let the past go. This was has killed many, and for that, he cannot find happiness, due to the sorrow he has caused. Sessha is very sorry..."

"Do you really think that they feel this way, even after 11 years of Meji?"

A simple nod was all she got from Kenshin.

"But others killed to! It was war!"

When Kenshin finally met her gaze, his was slightly scornful. "Kaoru-dono, you've never had blood stain your hands. You wouldn't understa-"

_SLAP_

Kenshin blinked, surprised by Kaoru's actions. She had slapped him. _Slapped_ him! Yes, he had been punched, yes he had been kicked, yes things had been thrown at him, but Kaoru had never slapped him...

When he looked back at her, she was trembling. "Bastard," she hissed and Kenshin took a step back. "Don't talk down to me! I thought we walked as equals! And yet you act as if I'm some… some _child_! You should know that I refuse to be counted as such!"

He blinked, surprised. "Ka-Kaoru-dono, this one-"

"No," Kaoru said, cutting him off effectively. "No. Don't... just... don't." Turning, she stomped into the dojo, slamming the door behind her.

Kenshin continued to stare after her, all strength leaving him. Stumbling over to the porch of the dojo, he collapsed onto it, holding his head in his hands. "What has sessha done?" he whispered. "Sessha guesses it's for the best but..." His fingers clenched in his hair. "It's for the best..."

Kaoru was so _angry_! She couldn't _stand_ it!

Hot tears filled up in her eyes as she slammed her shoji door shut. "Ja-ku," she whispered, collapsing onto her futon. She had honestly thought Kenshin viewed her as an equal, who has survived a chapter or two of his life with him, had seen horrors just as he had.

If he couldn't see her as an equal, then any hope of him seeing her as anything more were now down the drain.

The sounds of voices awoke Kaoru, and she slowly slid her shoji door open a crack, a sapphire eye glinting in the lamplight.

Kenshin was talking calmly to a drunk man. The drunk man seemed furious, and shoved Kenshin. He took a step back, but continued to glare coolly at the man.

Obviously, whatever the man was saying was beginning to make Kenshin angry.

Slowly sliding the shoji door open a little more, Kaoru crept forward, hoping to hear what they were saying. The click of a gun was enough to drown out all of the angry words as Kaoru's world narrowed on the courtyeard.

Behind the stranger a man stood, perfectly sober, and aiming a gun at Kenshin, one both eyes trained with dangerous certainty at the rurouni.

Kaoru never thought, never considered her actions. "KENSHIN!" was all she managed to say before stepping protectively before him. His shocked face would've been comical had not the gunshot and the pain ripping through Kaoru's left breast been so distracting.

She slumped against him and smiled wearily up at Kenshin. He was saying something, but it was quickly being drowned out by a ringing in Kaoru's ears. "Kaoru-dono, please, hold on! I'll get Megumi-dono! Just please, hold on! Please! _Please! __please..._


	2. A Familiar Face

_(A/N: I'm still hoping anybody knows how to do the whole picture thing, but here's the second chapter.)_

Kaoru's limbs felt heavy as she slowly opened her eyes

Kaoru's limbs felt heavy as she slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she couldn't breath, couldn't think. Then soft footsteps, so soft she almost missed them, sounded nearby. Somehow, they were enough to rouse her.

Sitting up, Kaoru blinked sleepily. What had happened? Kenshin was talking... there was a guy with a gun... and she had-

Her hand shot to her heart, her eyes stretched wide. What on earth...

Craning her neck so she could see her back, Kaoru looked for any sign of blood. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch. Not a single drop. Heck, not even a tear in her kimono!

Standing, Kaoru blinked as she was met with a wall. Turning, she found another wall. "Alley," she grunted, rolling her eyes at her stupidity.

Turning, she blinked in surprise as a man walked past the her and the alleyway she had found herself in. He had bright red hair like Kenshin, but wasn't wearing a magenta gi. His was blue, his hakama grey. With his hair tied high on his scalp, along with the katana and wakizashi at his side, screamed warrior. It screamed samurai.

Swallowing, Kaoru made to step forward, but a man rushed forward from the shadows, calling out for help. Kaoru's eyes widened when his face... exploded, a katana with a chain connected to it coming from the bloody mess.

Kaoru shrank back into the darkness, her hands covering her mouth. Oh kami...

She concentrated on not throwing up, and missed the man and the murderer's first couple words. When she finally thought she was well enough to look up, they had already engaged in battle. In fact, the red headed one was wrapped in the sword's chain, and the murderer stood, glaring down at him. "Prepare yourself!!" he shouted and lept down.

It was over before Kaoru had time to blink. The man had slashed the murderer from his shoulder blade down.

Standing, Kaoru stumbled forward, and the red headed man whirled to face her, his own face scrunched in displeasure.

"Um..." Kaoru said, blinking, unsure of what to say. It _looked_ like Kenshin, but he didn't have two scars; only one. And he looked so much younger. '_He can't be much older than 15,_' Kaoru thought, swallowing.

"Are you ok?" she asked, a nervous expression flickering across her face.

The boy looked shocked. He flinched back as Kaoru swayed towards him.

She took another step forward and pain shot through her body. She choked on her own air, her eyes stretched wide, pain and fear flickering through them, and she tipped forward, consciousness leaving her even as the man caught her.

* * *

Kenshin looked down at the woman as she slumped again him, her back bleeding profusely. His hand came away stickily, and he grimaced.

She had shocked him. Usually, after watching a man be butchered, people don't ask the butcherer if he was ok. But this woman looked unafraid of him; a strange thing in these days.

'_I should take her in. If she doesn't get her wound treated soon..._' The thought of a soul such as hers dieing made Kenshin squirm uncomfortably as he hoisted her up in his arms. He was much smaller than most men, but so was she. As he tucked her head under his chin, he smiled dimly down at her. She smelled like jasmine.

He never noticed a pair of dark, emotionless eyes watching him, as confused as they were.


	3. The Morning After

_(A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got a beta reader, but it took so long for her to beta it, I finally said 'Fuck it!' and edited it myself. -sigh- Anyways, here's chapter 3!)_

Kaoru awoke the next morning with a distinct pain in her back

Kaoru awoke the next morning with a distinct pain in her back. She narrowed her eyes at an unfamiliar wall. This time she didn't need to have to think hard about what had happened. She remembered.

Looking alongside the wall, her sapphire eyes found the folded body of the boy that had killed the man last night. Gently sitting up, she blinked at him, watching his breathing, how his hands were limp around the sword propped up against his shoulder, and how his face was so relaxed in sleep.

A small, sad smile stretched across Kaoru's face, as she thought about Kenshin, who looked so much like this boy.

_"I thought we walked as equals! And yet you act as if I'm some _child_! You should know that I refuse to be counted as such!"_

Kaoru's smile became a sad frown, a crease making itself known in her brows.

_"Bastard."_

She began to tremble, tears filling her eyes.

_"No. Don't... just... don't."_

"I need to do something," Kaoru muttered distantly, standing up and looking around. She still wore her kimono and, though it was slightly wrinkled and out of place, it was wearable. Finally, she found her hair ribbon, lying discarded by the boy's foot. She wondered distantly how it had gotten there, but picked it up anyways, quickly pulling her hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of her eyes.

"So then," she whispered, opening the shoji door and closing it again.

An old woman, her hair done up and her kimono wrapping around her to perfectly, spotted Kaoru and quickly made her way over to her. "Ah," she croaked, a grin splitting across her face. "So you're Himura-san's new friend! Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you. Kami knows that boy doesn't have enough friends in this world of men!"

Kaoru froze, her eyes wide. Himura was Kenshin's last name. But... how was that possible?

Shaking herself, she offered the woman a smile and made a mental note to ask the boy his name and if he knew Kenshin later. "It's a pleasure to meet you too! But, I hope it's not too bad to ask, but I'd like to help! I woke up... from a nightmare, and I'd like to distract my mind."

The woman's face split into an almost sinister grin. "Oh, is that so, missy?" she said. "Well then, come with me."

The woman snatched the sleeve of Kaoru's rumpled kimono and dragged her towards the kitchens, cackling as she went.

* * *

Kaoru dimly noted the sound of running footsteps quickly approaching the kitchen. She was, however, distracted by the cook who was glaring angrily at her. "Don't touch my food," the cook growled, looking mournfully at the miso soup (or more had _been_ miso soup before he had invited Kaoru to help in its creation) before glaring back at her.

She waved her hand furiously in front of her, attempting to look as innocent as she could. "I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I'm sorry! I told you I'm not too good at cooking!"

"No, you said 'I'm not the best, but I'm not half-bad if I don't say so myself!'. And trust me, you're definitely the worst cook I've ever seen!"

The shoji door behind her slammed open and Kaoru jumped, but still didn't look behind her.

Straightening her back and glaring back at the cook, she placed a fisted hand onto her hip and scowled back at him. "There's no need to insult me! You _were_ the one that invited me to help you, weren't you!? Well then, there's no need to be so rude! Now, if you'll excuse me!"

Angrily, she picked up the piled breakfasts and turned, almost bumping into somebody.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry!" she called from around the small tables. A red head came into view just before violet eyes showed themselves. It was the boy... or was it Kenshin?

"Miss... what are you doing?" came the voice from around the tables Kaoru was attempting to keep straight. It _sounded_ like Kenshin's voice, only not quite as deep (which was a hard thing to do as Kenshin was often mistaken for a girl, whether he spoke or not).

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kaoru replied absentmindedly, inching her way past him.

"Helping in the kitchen?" he asked, following her.

"If you knew, why'd you ask?" Kaoru said, grinning and winking at the boy.

He stopped, a surprised expression etched onto his face. Kaoru blinked, confused, but knelt down by the door of the men who were ordering the breakfast and scratched at the base.

It flew open and a crowd of men were already there, grinning at her.

"So this is Himura's girl!"

"Hey, she's cute!"

"She looks like she's the same age as Himura! Maybe a little older!"

"Hm... She seems to have more emotions than Himura... I approve!"

A blush quickly made its way across Kaoru's cheeks. She desperately attempted to cling to what the old woman had told her what to say. "Um... I'm Kaoru... It's nice to meet you..."

A man quickly made his way over to the boy and grinned down at him, slamming a hand down on the boy's head and rubbing it back and forth. "What's wrong, lover-boy? You're kinda pink!"

The boy glared ruefully up at the man, muttering a slightly disgusted "Iizuka-san..."

The man leaned in close, his smile wide and attempting to be brotherly. "Soooo... how was she?"

At the sound of a sword gently being unsheathed, all the men scurried to the back of the room. Kaoru looked behind her and there stood the boy, the katana at his hip pushed open by his thumb.

Quickly, she excused herself and hurried away, her face still red from what the men had said.

* * *

Later, she had been called into the boy's room. Setting down the dinner he had ordered, Kaoru cocked her head to the side. "You asked Okami-san if I would stay and talk to you for a bit. Is there anything you wish to speak about?"

The boy gestured to the dinner. "I don't think you've had anything to eat yet, have you? Do want something to eat?"

Kaoru smiled. "Thanks," she said before sitting down, her legs tucked neatly beneath her. "But that still doesn't answer my question. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

He was silent for a while, and Kaoru began a part of his dinner.

Suddenly, he broke the silence by a simple question. "You saw me kill a man, didn't you?"

Kaoru nodded, looking curiously at him. "Yes, I did."

"That's why- I want you to promise to forget everything you saw last night and leave."

Kaoru scowled at him, her pride slightly stung by his words. "Am I such a burden to you?" she spat. "Okami-san seems to like me."

He didn't meet her gaze. "Your family will be worried about you."

Kaoru turned back to the boy's dinner. "I'm not even sure I have a family anymore..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kaoru dimly noted that the boy looked shocked, then displeased. "I don't know what your situation is," he said, "but we're in no state to look after you."

"Will you kill me then, like you did that man?" she asked coolly, looking the boy square in the eye.

He scowled at her then. "You can think whatever you want to think, but I'm only doing this to bring in a new age where everyone can live in peace. I don't kill indiscriminately, only armed members of Bafuku who oppose us. Naturally civilians might oppose us as well, but I would never strike an unarmed man."

Kaoru scowled back at him, unhappy with his explanation. "So evil men carry swords, is it?" she said angrily. "I usually carry a wooden sword; does that make _me_ evil? Would you have killed me when you first saw me if I was holding my sword?"

The boy looked shocked at her question. "That's-"

Kaoru stood up, bowing respectfully to him, and turning to go. "Your face is saying more than your words. Tell me when you have your answer. Until then, you know where to find me, ok?"

With a final "thanks for the meal" Kaoru left.


	4. His Sheath

_(A/N: Ok, so a reader brought up some points that I couldn't respond to her about. I'm having Kenshin's eyes be violet because he's calmer right now. I, personally, think that his eyes were golden when he was killing someone, not when he was calmly talking to Tomoe. Also, I'm not using the OVA as a "Ok, and now _this_ happens!". I'll say it right here, right now; I _hate_ the OVAs. _Love_ their style and artwork, but they don't keep the people in character. Enishi and Tomoe are more spiteful and malicious than they actually are, Kenshin's freakin' emo, and Kaoru's a wilting flower that can suddenly _cook_! … Yeah, no. I'm going off of the translations of the manga, and many of the things said are directly from the manga. And it makes sense that Kenshin's voice is lower in the Bakumatsu than in the Meiji Era since he's 15 in the Bakumatsu and 30-something in the Meiji Era. Sorry, but his voice being lower in the Bakumatsu doesn't make sense. And as for calling Kenshin Battousai, they all knew his real name (or at least his last name, which could've been an alias and he just adopted it after the war) since the many of the people working in the inn didn't know he was Battousai; information could've been leaked far to easily if _everybody_ who worked in the inn knew who Kenshin was._

_Anyways, I've gotten my daily rant out. So… let us continue!)_

"Out!" Kaoru demanded, her eyes narrowing in Himura-kun's direction. It had been two weeks since her question, but she had still gotten no answer. Nor had she summed up enough courage to ask Himura-kun if his first name was Kenshin.

Kaoru was no idiot; by some magic or trick, she had been transported into the Bakumatsu, but she was much more frightened then she let on. And if this really was Kenshin at age 15 or 16... only four or five years younger than she and with more blood on his hands than hers...

Himura-kun blinked up at her, scowling back. "I don't believe I asked you to clean my room," he spat back, obviously in a bad mood.

"You didn't, but Okami-san did," Kaoru replied, stepping into the room with a broom, her hair held back by a ribbon, hidden underneath a handkerchief.

"Fine," Himura finally said, standing.

Taking a deep breath, Kaoru summed up all of her courage and said in a quiet voice, "Is your first name Kenshin?" Himura stiffened. "And are you the Hittokiri Battousai?"

Suddenly, Kaoru was whirled around, staring into blazing eyes. "How do you know!?" Himura-kun said in a low voice.

Kaoru's eyes were stretched wide in fear, her body beginning to quiver before she remembered who was holding her by the edge of her kimono. Her shaking stopped and she pushed the hand off. "How I know is of no need for _you_ to know. What is important, however, is this: do you intend to keep killing like this?"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed before he took a step back. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His hands shook as he turned, his crimson hair swirling around his shoulders as he whirled around and stomped out of the room.

The tension between Kaoru's shoulder blades leaked out then as she slumped onto the windowsill, her eyes still wide. '_He could've killed me,_' she realized, her heart stopping. '_He could've killed me... but he didn't._' It started back up with a painful jolt.

* * *

She found him again, washing his hands, an unreadable expression etched onto his face. Kaoru's own face was solemn. "Do you intend... to keep killing like this?" she asked again. Once again, Kaoru was left with no reply.

* * *

Kaoru sat the little room she had been given by Okami-san, the owner of the inn, since she had started working full time. She fingered her bokken, wondering if she should risk doing a couple kata in her kimono when someone knocked on her shoji wall. "Come in," she called and the door slid open.

A young man stood there, probably only in his early to middle 20s. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail, but a strand of hair still managed to fall across his handsome face. He bowed respectfully. "It's late. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Kaoru blinked. She had seen Kenshin with this man... "If you're looking for Kenshin, I'm sorry to say I don't know where he is. Probably out somewhere..."

The man nodded, his eyes watching her in a calm, questioning manner. "I know. I'm the one who gives him his orders. I know all of his movements." Kaoru blinked, confused by this man's statements, but let him continue to explain about the feelings Kenshin had so often hid from her.

As the man spoke, Kaoru listened. "Madness?" she suddenly said, interrupting the man. Worry was easily read on her face as Kaoru leaned in. "What are you talking about, Katsura-san!?"

Katsura sighed. "When I was young," he explained "Takasugi and I, and many of our friends, studied under a master of Shouka Sonjuu... Yoshida Shouin. He was executed in the Ansei no Taigoku. He once said that we were destroying an era of Tokugawa that drove men to madness. If we are to build a new age, then we must let ourselves go mad now." Katsura eyed Kaoru with a critical eye. "To be mad enough not to turn away from our extreme justice. That is the driving force of the Choushuu faction.

"Himura is the vanguard of this mad justice. He is fulfilling the harshest roles."

Kaoru blinked, uncomprehending. "And... so?" she ventured, her head tilted to one side. "Are... are you asking me to 'fulfill a role' or something like that, Katsura-san?"

Katsura smiled, his breath escaping him in a small chuckle. Standing, he made his way to the door and turned to smile back at her. "I'm not telling you to do anything. I just want you to understand what you're doing here."

Kaoru flinched as the door slid shut. What she was doing here? She had never thought about that...

* * *

Laughing, Okami patted Kaoru's back. "Good job! But you've done enough for today."

Kaoru bowed politely. "Arigato gozaimasu," she murmured, turning away. Suddenly, she wanted to ask Kenshin a question. She hadn't talked to him since after one of his kills, and she had... missed his company.

Gently, Kaoru slid the door open. Kenshin lay against the side of the window sill, his back propped up, chin against his chest, and eyes closed.

A small smile spread across Kaoru's face. He looked a little like Yahiko in the right lighting... and maybe if you squint a little. Either way, it made her slightly homesick. "He'll catch a cold," Kaoru muttered, grabbing a blanket and lifting it about Kenshin's shoulders as best she could.

It happened so fast, Kaoru didn't know how she had ended up on the floor, the only memory of the incident was the cold steel of Kenshin's blade pressed up against her neck. That and his wide, terrified and infuriated eyes.

He was breathing heavily, the blanket fallen to his feet, his arm now resting by his side. Kenshin's choked apology brought Kaoru out of her daze.

"I bragged that I would never kill a civilian and now look at me," he said, a dry, humorless chuckle escaping his parched throat. "If you had come any closer I would have..."

He collapsed back onto the window sill, still not looking Kaoru in the eye. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither moving. Finally, Kaoru pulled the ribbon from her hair and let it fall into his hands. "My father once spoke of a sheath that would hold back a man, and someone recently spoke about madness. Can I stay for a bit, to be a sheath for _your_ madness?"

He looked surprised, then thankful as his fingers curled into her hair ribbon and held onto it like it was his lifeline.

The silence dragged on for a while before it was broken by an answer Kaoru had never thought she would get.

"I thought about my answer," Kenshin finally said. Kaoru blinked, surprised and confused. What answer? Or more like which one, seeing as Kaoru had asked a several over the last couple of weeks. "Whether I would've killed you if you had had a sword." She made a little noise of recognition. "The answer is no, I wouldn't kill you. Whatever happened, and whatever will happen or whatever you will do, I could never do that to you..."

Stepping forward, Kaoru slowly placed her arms around him, hugging him gently. She almost missed the words that would mean more to her than almost anything else in the world. "Never to you... never..."

* * *

The ticking of a clock distracted Kaoru as she worked, her brow furrowed, her hands shaky. It shouldn't have been this hard to sew, but then again, it shouldn't be that hard to cook either. But it seemed Kaoru would forever be doomed to fail miserably at all household chores.

Kenshin slept softly next to her, his katana braced against his shoulder, his chest moving slowly in and out. The first few times Kaoru had pricked her finger, Kenshin had freaked out, gather more bandages than she would ever need in her life, and of course the ever wonderful leaping up and drawing his katana at her pained yelp. But, after the first twenty times, he had tuned Kaoru's mutterings, yelps, and swear words out. Now he was left to sleep in peace.

Suddenly the shoji slid open and a man walked in, his face jovial if not a little red (no doubt from one liquor or another). The man, Iizuka, as Kaoru had come to known him, didn't even wait to see what was going on inside the room before he began talking. "Hey, Himura! C'mon, it's the festival; let's get going! After this we're gonna hit the red-light district-"

"Excuse me," Kaoru said in a loud whisper, holding a bandaged finger to her lip. "Kenshin's finally sleeping. Can you please keep it down?"

Iizuka looked from Kaoru to Kenshin, then back again before bowing slightly and closing the door behind him. Sighing and shaking her head, Kaoru turned to watch Kenshin sleep. It wasn't often Kaoru managed to look at his sleeping face, in either era.

Suddenly, Kenshin's eyes were wide open and glaring at the door. Kaoru jumped slightly, a blush crossing her cheeks at having been caught looking at him. "Something wrong, Kenshin?" she asked. "Iizuka-san was just here but-"

She was cut off by a muffled "He's in his room!" The shoji opened with a loud bang and Kenshin sprang to his feet, taking a few steps forward to stand protectively in front of Kaoru. Iizuka and a large man stood there, shouting Kenshin's name.

"Katakai-san, what is it? You're supposed to be guarding Katsura-san at the meeting-" Kenshin began, his expression both worried and confused. But he was hurriedly cut off.

"The secret meeting place, the Ikedaya- It was raided by the Shinsengumi!" Kenshin's breath left him, the blood leaving his face.

Iizuka's own face had turned red, his face stretched almost comically. "So information is being leaked out!" he shouted.

"What about Katsura-san!?"

"It was too soon for him to reach the Ikedaya, so the head of Tsushima was acting in his place... and then because he was taking a nap, he narrowly avoided the disaster... but Yoshida-san and Miyabe-sensei and the others-"

A look crossed Kenshin's face, one which Kaoru had never seen before. Such rage and frustration were mixed so potently together, one could almost taste it.

He lunged forward, only to be held back by Iizuka. "Wait, Himura!" Iizuka said hurriedly. "It's too late! Even if you go charging out now you'll never get there in time." Kenshin continued to struggle against Iizuka, deaf to his words. "There are 3000 Bakufu soldiers out there! Fighting now will only make things worse for Choushuu!!"

Kenshin continued to struggle against Iizuka, fighting against him to get to the door. "And what about Kaoru-san?" Kenshin went limp and Kaoru blinked, surprised. "Do you honestly think that leaving her here, unprotected will keep her alive?"

"Our men will protect her," Kenshin muttered, but didn't begin to struggle again.

"Not against any Shinsengumi we can't!" Iizuka reasoned. "It'd be every man for himself."

Kenshin took a step back, his body quivering in unspent anticipation. "Fine," he spat and Kaoru laid a hand on his shoulder, suddenly worried that by doing so, she'd snap him in two.

"Fine, but this isn't the end..."

* * *

"Look at us now..." Katsura said, wrapped in a straw rain jacket as he leaned against a bridge leg, below Kenshin and Kaoru. "Kyoto's Choushuu faction is destroyed... we're now being perused as enemies of the emperor... In Hagi, the conservatives are gaining power. There's been a reversal in the provincial government. I'll stay in hiding for a while."

Katsura tugged his jacket a little closer about him. "I can't go back to Hagi, but if I stay here, I'll be caught."

Next to her, Kenshin finally spoke up. "What should I do? The Kohagiya was burnt to the ground."

"Kaoru-kun?" Katsura said, not moving his head or making any move to try and see the two.

"H-hai?"

"If you have nowhere to go, could you live there with Himura?"

Kaoru blinked, surprised. Her heart stopped and she felt her hands tighten on her forearms. Katsura stood and began to walk away. "A young couple avoids suspicion more easily than a young man alone. Of course, it would just be for show. Look after him, please."

With that, Katsura had disappeared behind a round in the bend. Kaoru let her breath escape her and turned to Kenshin. As much as she would love beyond all belief to even play his wife, she wouldn't force Kenshin to do anything he wouldn't want to do. "So... Kenshin... What should we do? I don't really have a place to go but... I won't-"

"It's not as if you have _nowhere_," Kenshin said, cutting her off. "If you need money for traveling, that can be arranged." His stiff posture and expressionless voice giving away more than he probably wanted to: he didn't want her to go.

A low chuckle finally broke the silence that had settled in between them. "I guess it's wrong of me to settle all of it on your shoulders," he said, warmth filling his voice again. He turned to Kaoru, a smile lighting his face; one that Kaoru almost never got to see. "Let's live together... I don't know how long it will last but... it doesn't have to be for show. Together..."

Kaoru suddenly realized she couldn't breathe. Dimly, she noted her mouth was slightly hanging open. Not enough to be a gape, but enough to show her surprise.

Then, as Kenshin's smile began to fade, Kaoru grinned. "I'd love to, Kenshin!" Twirling towards him, Kaoru hugged him tightly around the neck. Kenshin blinked, surprised, then smiled and hugged her back.

She was his sheath; he couldn't keep the madness at bay without her.

_(A/N: Well now, you all know what to do!)_


	5. An Unexpected Visit

Kaoru had never expected to be as happy as she was now

Kaoru had never expected to be as happy as she was now. Even her years at her father's dojo and the sheer joy she received from practicing and teacher was nothing compared to the bliss that settled over her as Kenshin and she lived in the countryside next to a small village with children that, by the time Kaoru was the age she was now, would be older than herself.

As the days wore by and slowly turned into months, and then a full year, Kaoru found herself slowly forgetting her old life and the old Kenshin and growing more and more attached to her new life and the Kenshin she knew now. Though she continued to practice, using a bokken she had bought from a down-and-out dojo, she let herself slowly, ever so slowly, lessen each lesson until she was doing the bare minimum and working more on the fields she and Kenshin now farmed on.

"Mou," she moaned, stretching lightly before turning back to the soup. Her cooking had gotten slightly better (under Kenshin's watchful eye, of course. She hadn't set fire to the hut in over a week, and he hadn't gotten food poisoning the last time he ate something of hers), and she smiled down at the bowl.

Then, suddenly, everything went wrong. Her hand slipped and she poured water all over the food and the fire. It pooled on the ground and a spark that had managed to escape the water set to work on the wooden floors of the hut. With a little battle cry, Kaoru used what was left of the water to put out the fire.

Stumbling to the door, she pushed her way into the open air as smoke billowed after her. Kenshin looked up, his eyes worried and curious. Kaoru smiled sheepishly. "I did it again," she said as he made his way towards her, stepping around some of the children that were still attempting to whack the back of his knees and his shins.

Laughing, he kissed her forehead gently. Though Kaoru had stopped growing last year, Kenshin would soon reach the height she remembered him by. "It's ok," he chuckled. "I'll cook tonight."

Kaoru laughed as well, covering her smile with her hand. "I'll get some more water," she said, jogging as best she could in her kimono towards the river that flowed near their house.

As she filled the wooden pail, she heard quiet footsteps behind her. Standing, she turned to address whoever it was that seemed to be sneaking up behind her, only to freeze in surprise and confusion.

There stood Yahiko, looking beaten up with a couple of bandages on his cheeks and dirt covering his hands. Slowly, almost frighteningly so, he reached out for her. "Kaoru?" he asked, his voice quivering.

She dropped the pail and stared, open mouthed at the boy. How... how had Yahiko... how did he...?

"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. "How did you get here!?"

"I-I don't know. When Kenshin told Sano and me about you gettin' shot, we hurried over to where Megumi was keeping you, but she wouldn't let us in. Only Kenshin. Sano an' I fell asleep waiting for her to call us, and when I opened my eyes, I was a couple of feet away."

"And these bandages, this dirt? How did you get those?"

Yahiko looked down at the ground like a scolded child. "I got in a fight with a couple of guys..."

Kaoru gave him _the look_, but let it slide.

Standing, she tugged on his hand. "Come on! You've got to meet someone!"

He blinked up at her, tilting his head slightly. "Who?"

"My husband," she said, grinning as Yahiko's face paled slightly and his mouth opened and closed. "Surprised?"

"Just that anybody would want to marry you, ugly," he muttered, glaring at the landscape to their right.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING UGLY!?" Kaoru shouted. She and Yahiko got into their customary little brawl. Neither of them heard the sounds of hurried footsteps, nor the sound of zori sliding to a stop nearby. But both of them heard the "KAORU!" that Kenshin shouted.

Breaking apart immediately, Kaoru blinked up at Kenshin who quickly stepped in between her and Yahiko, his back facing her.

"What were you doing to Kaoru?" he asked his voice dangerously low. Yahiko just blinked up at him, mouth once again agape and eyes wide.

Jumping up, Kaoru laid a hand on Kenshin's arm. Slowly, his stiffness left him, but the slight tenseness in his shoulders told Kaoru he was ready to fight Yahiko if the need appeared.

"Kenshin," Kaoru said softly, soothingly. "It's ok. This is Yahiko, a student of mine from back home. He doesn't know how he got here, but-"

"But I'd like to stay the night, if it's alright." Yahiko cut in.

Kenshin shook his head, looking desperately from Kaoru, to Yahiko, and back again. "I guess it's alright, if Kaoru has no objections to it..."

Kaoru smiled and shook her head. "I don't see any problem with it."

Nodding, Kenshin made his way back to the house, Kaoru and Yahiko following behind him. "You two should have a lot to catch up on. I'll wait out here."

* * *

"Kaoru," Yahiko asked from the corner of the hut. "How did you get here?"

Kaoru shrugged, picking up a peach and handing it to him before returning to the mess she had made by trying to cook dinner. "Dunno. All I remember was there were two men outside the dojo talking to Kenshin, one of them pulled out a gun, and I stepped forward and got shot. When I woke up I was in an alleyway and Kenshin was walking nearby." Sighing, she pushed some of her hair out of her face. "It's hard to believe that it's the Bakumatsu..."

Yahiko choked lightly on his peach. "The Bakumatsu!?" he spluttered, blinking up at Kaoru. "But, it isn't safe here! Come on! You an' me can find a way back home! You don't have to live this... _fake_ life! Come with me back to Tokyo and to the Meiji Era!"

Kaoru stilled her movements as Yahiko tried to get her to come back with him. She wanted to and at the same time didn't want to leave this place ever again. It was painful for his words to sink in.

Slowly, she turned towards Yahiko, her face a confused and sad mask of emotions. "Yahiko... I can't... I don't know how..."

"Neither do I but-"

"No, Yahiko..." Kaoru said quietly, turning back to the mess that would no doubt turn into a stain. "I can't just... leave this place. You don't understand. And I don't know how to get back. Maybe it'll be easier with just you but..."

"What happened to you?" Yahiko said softly, his head down. "The Kaoru I knew would've jumped at the chance to return back to her dojo. Why are you staying here? What's holding you back?"

"Yahiko... go home... I'll try to follow after but... I don't know if I'll be able to." Kaoru's head dropped a little, not meeting the boy's eyes.

Silence met her words and Kaoru sighed, running her fingers through her hair in a tired fashion. "Yahiko?" Still silence. She looked up and found herself talking to air. Yahiko had disappeared.

As Kenshin pushed aside the door, he noticed two things. One was that Kaoru's eyes were slightly red from crying, and two was that the boy had disappeared.

* * *

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked softly. "Where's your student?"

"Yahiko went back home... to To-Edo," Kaoru said softly, almost calling the city that, in this time period was called Edo, Tokyo.

"Ah," Kenshin said softly, settling down next to her. "And something he said upset you or...?"

Kaoru shook her head softly. "I really don't want to talk about it..." she whispered pulling her legs up to her chest and burring her head in her knees.

Gently, Kenshin pulled her to him in a soft hug. She sobbed into his gi until her eyes were puffy and her throat raw. She thought about telling him about everything, spilling her guts out and letting him know, but the time wasn't right. She could feel it in her bones.

Slowly, Kaoru realized that Kenshin had picked her up. Her fingers curled into his gi, twisting the material around and around the digits until Kenshin was forced to lay her down on the futon to try and get them out. It didn't work. With only a half hearted sigh he curled up next to her and pulled the thick woolen blanket over them. "We still haven't had dinner yet," he reminded her, nuzzling the top of her head.

Kaoru shook her head in the hollow of his throat. "M'not hungry," she rasped.

A low vibration echoed through Kaoru as Kenshin chuckled softly. "Then I'll have to spoon-feed you in the morning! You'll be starving!"

This drew a sleepy giggle from Karou who snuggled closer to Kenshin. "Sleep," he whispered in her ear. "Sleep." She obeyed and was soon lost to the world.


	6. Broken

_(A/N: Eheheh… whoops… That was a _total_ mistake, but thank you to everybody who didn't bitch and moan about how utterly stupid I was. Here's the real chapter (I promise! )_

_... I'm sorry, but you _have_ to see the picture I did for the chapter opening, even if I can't post in on here -mutters stuff about stupid ff stuff- Anyways, here's the url: http : / / i25 dot photobucket dot com/albums/c76/Clowey/Back in the Bakumatsu/Chapter6 dot png)_

Kaoru shifted sleepily, settling into the warmth that enveloped her. Something tightened around her waist and she blinked her eyes open. She was met with the slender arch of a neck and long, red hair falling over it and into her face. Looking up, she found the chin and cheek of her husband as his arm around her waist tightened again.

A small smile pressed against her lips as she ran her fingers over his left cheek, the one not marred by his scar. Her arm rose in goosebumps as the cold rushed over it and Kaoru shivered. Turning, she dimly noted the fire was out and with a sigh, shimmied her way out of Kenshin's arms. He grunted softly and tried to tighten them, his face screwing up in discomfort or unhappiness, but Kaoru shushed him softly, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. He relaxed, falling even farther into slumber.

Silently, Kaoru pushed the shoji door open, giving one last smile at her husband, before slipping her zori on and slipping outside. Tugging her hair up into a high ponytail, she looked around the forest edge for any random pieces of wood she could use to start a fire. '_Not a likely thing_ _in all this snow!_' she mentally snorted '_The things have got to be soaked and freezing!_'

As she had predicted, there hadn't been any. Turning towards the log pile Kenshin had chopped earlier she began to pick out driest ones, never hearing the soft crunch of snow behind her, or the shifting of material as a hand reached out for her. But as the hand closed around her mouth, all Kaoru managed was a soft, surprised gasp before the other arm closed around her middle, pinning her against a male chest.

* * *

Kenshin awoke with the distinct feeling that something was wrong. He wanted scream and rip something apart with his bare hands, but he didn't know why.

Looking at where the indentation of Kaoru should've been, he scowled lightly to find her gone, the heat her body had generated almost completely gone.

Standing, he made his way towards the door, swaying from sleep. She wasn't outside. Something rose in his throat, choking him. Some logs he had cut the day before yesterday lay scattered about the pile, the signs of a struggle obvious. Kaoru's footsteps ended and another's came from and returned to the forest.

Dimly, Kenshin knew his body was shaking. This wasn't possible. Kaoru hadn't been kidnapped and dragged into the forest. This was just a dream. It wasn't possible.

Before he realized he had moved, Kenshin had his katana in his hand, the sheath and the wakizashi pushed into his hakama ties, and his zori on. The forest whipped past him as he ran along the footsteps, praying for the first time since he could remember to any heavenly deities that he could think of that Kaoru was safe and unharmed.

* * *

Kaoru had never liked not having her feet firmly on any surface. Even a boat was far more preferable to being held up by a smelly, disgusting, ugly oaf. Before her sat an aging man, his beard and hair turning silver. Next to him sat another man, his face hidden, and a young woman who held a cold beauty about her.

"Is this the one you said Battousai had a weakness for?" the older man asked, turning towards the woman.

She dipped her head, her lips parting gently. "Yes, she is. Battousai has grown to love her, and protects her. She is his wife, and I have the feeling he'd do anything for her."

"Your feeling better be right," the man grunted, standing. "He'll be coming. You three, go." Kaoru gasped as the oaf dropped her in favor of leaving.

The beams above creaked as an unseen man left just ahead of the oaf and the man. The leader gave the woman a stern look and left to stand guard.

Kaoru turned to the woman, her face screwed up in hatred. "Why are you doing this?" she spat, stumbling to her feet.

The woman looked coolly down at Kaoru, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Why? Why did Battousai kill my fiancé? Why does he pretend to be human when he's nothing more than a demon?"

Kaoru opened her mouth to shout at the woman, but a thundering boom in the distance stopped her. "Battousai has reached the first barrier," the woman said calmly.

"Who are you?" Kaoru demanded angrily, her fists clenching at her side.

"I'm Tomoe, and if you don't resist, you won't die."

"You don't look like you could kill me," Kaoru spat back, her shoulder shaking.

Tomoe's expression never wavered. "I never said it'd be me that would kill you."

* * *

Even with his hearing, sight, and intuition gone Kenshin couldn't stop. Couldn't rest. Kaoru's face, a small smile lifting the ends of her lips flashed across his face. He couldn't do that until she was back. Until she was safe. Until the bastards that took her breathed their last breath and died a painful death.

Stumbling into a clearing, he lifted his almost blind eyes to find a blackish, greyish blob waiting for him. "I'm here to take Kaoru back," Kenshin called, his voice slurred.

He'd kill anybody who got in his way.

* * *

Kaoru whirled around, Kenshin's voice tearing her from an argument with Tomoe. She stumbled towards the door, her eyes stretched wide in fear for Kenshin. But Tomoe's slender arms wrapped themselves around Kaoru, keeping her there in the only way the weaker woman knew how.

"No!" Tomoe shouted. "Don't you see!? He's a demon! A monster!"

Kaoru stilled and turned to look at Tomoe, her face sad. "No he's not," she said softly, hands clenching at her sides. "But would your fiancé want you to do to me, what Kenshin did to you? I don't care _what _he is so long as he's Kenshin. I'll stand by him no matter what."

Tomoe's grip slackened, surprise crawling lazily through her veins. Leaping forward, Kaoru broke through Tomoe's grip and pulled away, squirming out of the door.

Kenshin's body looked like a beaten up doll that somebody had accidentally thrown red dye on. Horror filled her and she shouted his name. Kenshin didn't so much as flinch. Dimly, Kaoru realized tears were rolling down her cheeks as she ran forward, throwing herself against the man Kenshin was fighting. Without her bokken, Kaoru could only hit him with her fists.

"Stop it," she screamed, not caring she sounded like a small child. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"

The man growled, swinging his fist and catching Kaoru in the jaw. She went flying, crumpling behind the man as Kenshin shouted an angry battle cry. Looking up, she found the man's bulk crashing down on her. Rolling out of the way, her kimono flapping uselessly, she just barely managed to get out of the way as the man crashed down next to her.

Kenshin's back was turned to her as he stumbled towards the hut, his hoarse voice calling her name. Standing, Kaoru lunged at him. She had seen Tomoe with a knife, and she couldn't take Kenshin's death. Not after everything they'd been through. Not now. Not ever.

* * *

Kenshin had gotten his hearing back towards the end of the fight, and his sight was almost normal as well. He had gotten it back enough to see the man fall, distracted by something long enough for Kenshin's katana to do what it was meant to do.

The crunch of snow and labored breathing alerted him to yet another foe that stood between him and Kaoru. He couldn't take much more of this, so he'd have to kill this one quickly. He wouldn't let Kaoru go, and she'd be hurt if he died. So he'd stay alive no matter what, just for her.

* * *

As Kenshin whirled around, Kaoru felt a small smile cross her lips. He wouldn't have to fight Tomoe. They could go home. They-

Pain blossomed across her stomach and Kaoru half gasped, half gagged against the blood that rose in her throat. W-what?

Kenshin's eyes sparked in recognition, then widened in horror as Kaoru's knees gave out, sending her against his chest. Warm arms caught her and Kaoru twisted her fingers into his gi, her vision flickering.

"Kaoru," Kenshin chanted softly, his voice choked by tears as he rocked back and forth, Kaoru clutched to his body. "Kaoru. Kaoru. Why? Why you? I didn't mean to- I thought- I thought you were-" Tears were rolling down Kenshin's cheeks. Her dimming sapphire found his scar and she pressed her fingers against it.

"It's not a cross," she said softly, her words slurred. A small smile pressed itself against her lips. "At least you've been spared a little bit of pain, Ken... shin..."

Her head tipped back, her hair, the ribbon lost from her fall, spilling out across the snow as her body went limp, her hand falling back.

* * *

Kenshin stirred softly, more tears falling across his cheeks. "Kaoru," he choked out, clutching her to him. Opening his mouth, he couldn't help but scream her name as if he had been the one to die, not Kaoru.

He turned only as Tomoe took a few steps out onto the snow, her eyes wide at the sight. A knife was held limply in her fingers. Swaying, Kenshin stood, still hold Kaoru to him.

"You killed her," Tomoe said simply. Kenshin flinched and clutched Kaoru tighter. "You killed the woman that loved you. You killed the man that loved me. Who else will you kill?"

Kenshin gave another gasping sob and buried his face in Kaoru's hair. Tomoe's knife flashed and cut along his cheek, cutting through the singular scar that had already been placed there.

He didn't feel the pain. He didn't feel the blood slip down his cheek and onto Kaoru's hair. He couldn't feel anything except for the feel of Kaoru's warmth leaving her body.

Lifting his head, he stared with dead eyes at Tomoe. "Leave me," he choked out. "Leave me or kill me."

She just stared at him, appalled. This wasn't the Hitokiri Battousai that she had envisioned, even after seeing him. He seemed so... broken.

Turning, she ran, Enishi rushing towards her and clutching her hand. They both fled the scene as Kenshin stumbled back towards the house he and Kaoru had shared for a time.

* * *

The Shinsengumi were already there, watching him as he stumbled out of the tree line, still holding Kaoru against him. Kenshin's hand clenched around his sword as he raised his head towards them, his eyes no longer having any life left in them.

They fell easily to his sword. But it wasn't enough. Kaoru's pain and the pain her death had caused him hadn't been satisfied. He wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop!?

* * *

Kaoru awoke to darkness, feeling like she was coming out of some gooey substance, almost like swimming in slightly hardened pudding. She looked left then right, but there was nothing there.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," a voice called out from behind her, old and young and the same time. "This wasn't supposed to happen at _all_."

Kaoru whirled around, her senses that had just felt like a heavy woolen blanket had been smothering them, became sharp and alert. "Who are you!?"

A woman stepped forward, her face young but her eyes, a deep red color, were old. Her hair had been pulled up into a bun, but there was far too much of it and it fell down to sway by her waist, the tips dipped in crimson. She didn't wear a kimono, but instead a strange western-style dress.

"Who are you?" Kaoru asked again, her eyes wide.

"I'm Destiny," the woman replied. "And you weren't meant to die Tomoe's death."

"Tomoe's-?" Kaoru frowned. Tomoe? The woman who had been in the shack?

Destiny walked forward, her bare feet sliding from beneath the hem of the dress until she stood face to face with Kaoru, looking down slightly between their different heights. "I wished to show you that Himura Kenshin, Shinta, Hitokiri Battousai view you as an equal and wish to have a life with you by their side.

"But you died."

Kaoru blinked as Destiny walked past her. Turning, Kaoru found herself in front of a scene of slaughter. Kenshin stood there, her body still clutched to his chest. His breathing was ragged and blood was splattered across himself and her body.

She called his name and rushed forward. Kenshin whirled around, his sword slicing through her chest. Kaoru didn't feel any pain, or her blood. She felt so numb.

But he stood there, staring in utter horror at her. Kaoru looked down and dimly noted that her blood was going to ruin her kimono. But that didn't matter.

"Kenshin, please stop this," she pleaded softly, reaching out a hand to his shaking figure. "Please. You aren't supposed to do this. Kenshin."

"Then what _am_ I supposed to do?" he shouted, stumbling back a few feet. The back of his foot caught a rock and he fell onto his ass, looking fearfully up at her, the arm that clutched her body tightening.

Kaoru gave a small smile and knelt in front of him, running her fingers along his bleeding cut. "That'll leave a scar," she said softly. "But as for what you should do... You should fight the rest of the Bakumatsu, forge the Meiji Era, then wonder for 10 years before saving me from Himura Gohei who was pretending to be you."

Kenshin blinked at her, dumbfounded. He shook his head slowly. "No. Kaoru, I can't. I just _can't_!" He gave a choked sob and buried his face in her hair again.

Destiny placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder and the world faded into darkness again. "He'll go on a slaughter rampage in Kyoto, killing Ishin Shishi and Shinsengumi alike. It'll take the combined forces of Saitou Hajime, Souji Okita, and Shishio Makoto to finally kill him. Shishio Makoto and Souji Okita will be killed, and Saitou Hajime will become badly wounded from the fight. He'll still be carrying you, and since in death nobody could pry his you away from him, they burn both of your bodies together."

She turned towards Kaoru. "Would you like to see?"

Kaoru shook her head fiercely. "No, I don't! What do you want me to do? Kenshin doesn't deserve this kind of life, or this kind of death."

"Kaoru."

She looked up at the sound of her name to find Kenshin standing there. His body looked bruised and beaten, his clothes tattered and ripped. But the most horrible part was that he was crying blood.

"Kaoru, come back to me." He stumbled forward, his bleeding cut turning into a scar. Kenshin's hair fell from a high to a low ponytail. The blue gi turned magenta, and the grey hakama faded into white. The blood disappeared and Kenshin held out a hand towards her. "Come back."

Giving a stifled sob, Kaoru rushed forward, but Destiny stood where Kenshin previously had. "Is that your decision?" she asked. "You can wait in the afterlife for the Kenshin that you've spent a little over a year with. Are you _positive_ you wish to return to the life you once knew as a dojo teacher?"

Kaoru nodded shakily. "Yeah, it is."

Destiny gave the first smile she had seen. "Then just hold on tight. You'll be back in no time."


	7. Tadaima

_(A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, people! But... here we go! Also, here's the picture for this chapter. ^^_

http : / / i25 . photobucket . com/albums/c76/ Clowey /Back%20in%20the%20Bakumatsu/Chapter7copy . png_ )_

The first thing Kaoru was aware of was somebody clutching her hand. The person holding it must've been shaking, because her own hand trembled. Then there were voices in the background, but not close enough or clear enough to be in the same room.

Her head hurt like a bitch. Groaning lightly, she pressed her free hand against her temple, opening an eye but slamming it shut a moment later. The light was to much.

"Kaoru!" a voice cried, making her cringe a little. It sounded like-

"Ken... shin?" she murmured softly, forcing her eyes to open despite the pain. Kenshin stood there, violet eyes wide, feet splayed apart, still clutching her hand. His mouth, gaping when she opened her eyes, pressed into a weary smile.

"Kaoru-dono," he said softly, sitting on the side of the bed. "You're better. This one was worried, that he was."

Kaoru's mouth twitched a little. It was good to hear him. Why, she couldn't remember, but it was still good. "What happened?" she croaked, hating how her words scrapped along the sides of her throat.

He dropped her hand and closed his eyes, smile disappearing as his lips pressed into a thin, white line. "You were shot."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I got that."

Kenshin gave a dry, humorless chuckle. "No doubt you did. The man and his drunk companion were of the opinion that women shouldn't teach anything but their daughters how to cook and clean."

Kaoru leaned back against the pillow, smiling lightly. "And I can't do either of those, so I guess I'm their mortal enemy."

The bed lost Kenshin's weight as he stood, eyes flashing amber. "It's not funny, Kaoru-dono," he said, his voice a bit more gravely than before. "You could've died."

She glared at him. "Do you honestly think this hasn't happened before?" He stilled. Obviously he had. "When my father made me Assistant Master, and again when he died, people complained, sometimes with weapons. I'm used to it by now."

Kenshin sank once again into his chair, cradling his head in his hands. "Kaoru-dono..." he rasped. "Sessha didn't... Sessha didn't think-"

She sat up and Kenshin's head jerked back, his mouth opening wide as he began to protest. Kaoru shushed him with a hand gesture. "It's fine, Kenshin. I'm fine."

He leaned back against the chair, considering her. "But it almost wasn't," he said softly. Kaoru blinked, surprised. "You almost died. Almost died thinking this one thought you weren't his equal. Thinking Sessha thought you were akin to a child."

Her chest expanded as Kaoru's intake of breath almost echoed in the silent room. She had almost forgotten about that.

"It's not true."

Kenshin's head was hanging again and Kaoru wanted to hug him, to make him feel better. "Sessha was just... frustrated." When she didn't respond, he continued. "He cannot let go of his sins until they have been cleansed. Until Sessha has been cleansed. But you..." He looked up, fingers reached forward to run gently down her cheek. "You make this one want to just forget about his sins and _live_. And this one can't."

They sat there for a time, just staring at each other. Even the voices in the background had stilled into silence. "Maybe," she rasped, clearing her throat before continuing. "Maybe just living is the path to redemption."

Kenshin blinked as if he hadn't thought of this idea either. Truthfully he hadn't. Slowly, he smiled. "Sessha will think on that, that he will," he said. Kaoru smiled at him, grasping his hand again. Hopefully he'd learn, soon, that he was far less sinful than most people she knew.

Suddenly a door rattled open and Megumi sniffed disdainfully, Sano and Yahiko grinning at Kaoru from behind and under her arm. "Ken-san," she said, stepping forward. "Move."

He moved, knowing that she knew how to wield those scalpels that lined the room.

"Idiot Tanuki girl," Megumi spat. Kaoru responded and the two burst out in an argument, even as Megumi made sure Kaoru felt better.

Kenshin leaned against the wall, arms tucked into his sleeves as Sano and Yahiko ambled over to him, careful not to attract either Kaoru or Megumi's attention.

"So, Kenshin," Sano rumbled, teeth clenched over a fish's spine. "Looks like Jou-chan's back to normal, ne?"

Kenshin nodded. "It appears so."

Yahiko scratched the back of his head, watching the two girls. He 'hmm'ed lightly and jumped when both Kenshin and Sano looked at him. "Well, I was just thinking," he said, leaning back against the wall with his two heros. "I had a dream with Busu in it. And Kenshin was there to."

Sano grinned. "Was I in there, Yahiko-chan?"

Yahiko's teeth clenched together so hard, Kenshin cringed a little at the sound of molars rubbing together. "Yeah, you were there. You needed a brain."

The two turned on each other and attacked. Kenshin smiled and leaned his head back against the wall, watching his friends. Maybe the road to redemption truly was just living. As Kaoru leaned forward, poking Megumi in the shoulder, he smiled at the thought. Kami he hoped it was.

**The End**


End file.
